How the Tables have Turned
by Tsuioku
Summary: When a turn of events leaves Jareth stuck in the form of a dog, no thanks to Karma, he finds himself needing the help of Sarah Williams. Why, may you ask? Because she's the only one who can cure him.
1. Peter Pan Syndrome and Karma

After five years, the very idea of the Labyrinth seemed blasphemous to Sarah Williams

AN: Uhh…first Labyrinth fic! Yeaahhh! Okay, so I totally don't know how this is going to turn out…and I guess it might be OOC. Hm…well, you be the judge of that!

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

**How the Tables have Turned**

**Prologue**

**Peter Pan Syndrome and Karma**

After five years, the very idea of the Labyrinth seemed blasphemous to Sarah Williams. It was impossible to take a dwarf, orange beast…thing, a fox-squirrel hybrid who rode a dog with an uncanny resemblance to what was once her own dog, seriously. As far as she was concerned, they were figments of her imagination, long lost to a childhood she had realized she needed to leave behind. In the real world, at age twenty, she couldn't simply walk up to someone and say she fought through a labyrinth (_the _Labyrinth) in order to get back her baby brother. And she certainly couldn't say a Goblin King had snatched him away.

If she were five, the story would be cute.

Twenty?

Not so much…

But no matter how many times she convinced and scolded herself that the Labyrinth was simply a dream, Sarah would always find herself waking up with the Underground fresh in her thoughts. It was annoying at how persistent her fifteen year old mind tried to take over.

_One of these days, I will wake up, and find myself in a nice, padded room. _And with that, Sarah would wake up with the intent to make some coffee and start her day.

Yawning, she pushed aside the warm covers of her bed and strode across the room to go into the kitchen when the sight of a book caught her attention. Frowning, she realized it was the fantasy book she had picked up from the library last Thursday.

It was a funny cycle…she'd always (attempt) to convince herself that she didn't believe in silly things like magic, dragons, and unicorns and the like, but somehow, someway…she ended up contradicting herself. Not to mention the poster shamelessly tacked on her wall of a rather fanciful looking meadow chalked with figures like fairies, unicorns and other miscellaneous things.

She was beginning to think she was suffering a severe case of Peter Pan Syndrome with a side dish of denial.

--

In the Underground, things couldn't be better.

Goblins were pulling slingshots at unsuspecting (or perhaps suspecting) chickens, feathers were flying all over the place, a child was crying, and Jareth certainly wouldn't blame him. One of his uglier goblins was attempting to hold the child who promptly fell into a fit of screams, desperately trying to get the thing away from him. Sighing, Jareth kicked away the ugly goblin, hoisting the child into his lap.

He would _never _forgive the bastards for failing to leave out the bit where he was a part-time babysitter.

But at the very least, the child had stopped crying bringing some much needed relief to his ears.

Glancing at the clock, he noticed only four hours had passed, and the stupid girl _just _got past the worm. He was seriously considering just going in there himself and escorting her to the castle. Forget the Bog of Stench threats and oubliettes; they just weren't worth it.

_At least _Sarah _could pick up the pace a little…_And then he frowned. Sarah…that girl definitely was on his hate list. Then again, there wasn't ever really a time where he _had _liked someone…well…he did like (love?) Sarah…of course, that was in past tense. Take note of the 'did', will you? In any case, after she had gotten a lucky break (defeated) him in the Labyrinth, all traces of mushy-good-type-words faded from his description of her. If someone were to ask him to describe Sarah in three words, it would be: _Crusher_, _Destroyer_, and downright _Rude_.

None of those words applied to him of course.

But Jareth was humble enough to let bygones be bygones.

Sighing again, something he found himself doing quite often, Jareth promptly dropped the child into a less atrocious looking goblin.

"Don't throw it at the chickens, will you?"

The goblin blinked with a glassy-eyed look before looking at the child in wonderment.

He figured that'd be the closest thing he was getting to a yes.

Boots clicking against the hard floor, he promptly vanished and reappeared in front of a stunned-looking girl.

"Gah! You again!"

He gave her a cold look.

"You are far stupider than I thought. It's been four hours and thirteen minutes, and you're just barely in the Labyrinth."

The girl blinked. _And…?_

"You know what?" Jareth suddenly exclaimed, feeling a fast-approaching headache. "Give me your arm."

"No!" The girl retaliated, backing away while clutching her arm.

"Don't be difficult!" He snapped.

"I'm not!" She wailed, feeling thoroughly confused. "Just give me back my baby cousin! He must be terrified!"

_You have no idea…_Jareth thought darkly.

"Look, you want your baby cousin, and I, quite frankly, _don't_," he paused, taking a look at the terrified girl, "so it would be simply _marvelous _if you just cooperated!"

"O-Okay…" the girl replied hesitantly.

"Good." He smirked, grabbing her arm and both reappeared in the throne room. The girl wrinkled her nose in disgust as a chicken flew by, a goblin not too far behind it cackling maniacally. Her eyes landed on the child crawling on the floor, green eyes amused by a goblin that had its head stuck underneath a metal bowl.

"Chris!" She ran over towards the child, quickly picking him up.

She turned around, facing the Goblin King who looked rather annoyed.

"That's it? I beat you in all technicalities..."

Jareth let a dark smile spread across his lips. "Oh really? The fact that I helped you had _nothing _to do with it?"

The girl glared, her mouth ready to say something when Jareth smoothly interrupted. "You hardly won. I was having a bad day and you were far too slow, so I took pity on you, and your cousin for having to depend on such slow help."

"What, that's not fa –"

"Off with you," Jareth mumbled, waving his hand.

The girl and the child soon disappeared, leaving Jareth alone with the goblins.

Truly a wonderful day in the Underground…

Dropping himself into his throne, Jareth lazily slung one leg over the armrest, examining his gloved fingers. A few goblins prodded the booted foot hanging over the edge, earning a quick, nearly reflexive kick from Jareth. They ran off cackling with glee, only to collide with each other in a few seconds. He almost regretted so rashly sending the girl away…games were usually fun, but as of late, he wasn't really up to it anymore. It was such a bland, repetitive cycle.

Suddenly, a loud crash captured the Goblin King's attention, and he slowly drew himself up into a sitting position.

"Get off me!" A young woman snapped, kicking a goblin off of her leg. "I just got this dress, and I'll be damned if you ruin it!"

Jareth frowned, watching the woman stride over to Jareth, a smile slapped onto her face. She had long black hair, and odd-looking greenish blue eyes that seemed to be brimming with mischief in a scary way. She gave a short curtsy, almost mocking him, and that didn't sit too well on his ego.

"Who are you?"

She looked up, a smirk on her pale face.

"I'm a little thing called _Karma_."

AN: This is just a prologue, so yeah…kind of short I guess. Tell me what you think?


	2. Surprises

AN: Hm…this is looking kind of short to me. I have a tendency to stop at a good stopping point, and then realize I hadn't written a lot…oh well. Bear with me? I'd love you forever! ;D

And thanks to all the awesome reviews! They warm my heart like little fuzzies. Or something to that degree…

Oh, I was sort of on a major headache when I wrote this, so forgive me for any oddities...

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth. But I do own Karma.

**How the Tables have Turned**

**Chapter One**

**Surprises **

Jareth frowned, staring at the woman with mild distaste. The cheeky look on her face didn't help matters either. He could only wonder who she was and why exactly she went by the name Karma. It's almost as if it didn't bode something well…

"What do you want?" Jareth sighed, dropping his chin into his palm, looking quite bemused.

The woman's smile grew wider if that were even possible.

"I'm surprised you don't know! But I'm sure I can jog your memory. Remember how the Labyrinth has a set of rules you _must _follow?" Jareth blinked impassively. She frowned. "If I do recall correctly, you just helped a runner complete the Labyrinth. And since I _was _aware of the rules and such, I do know that it's not your position to do that. _Especially that_," she emphasized, the mischief running out of her eyes.

Jareth shifted in his seat, not in the least bit perturbed. Oh sure, the Labyrinth had a set of rules to follow since it had come into creation, but this woman had to have been playing an awful joke on him. In any case, he highly doubted anything serious would happen. The woman hardly seemed convincing…

She frowned upon seeing the rather uncaring look on the Goblin King's face.

"You don't believe me, do you?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"No, I'm afraid not," he replied, dusting a bit of lint off his sleeve.

Karma merely narrowed her eyes before a smirk replaced her angered look.

"Do you remember a girl…a girl by the name of Sarah Williams?" Jareth could sense the taunting edge she was putting in her voice.

"What of her?"

"Well, I do know you were absolutely disgusted when she beat you. You thought you had her right in the palm of your hand for the duration of the game. So," she announced, arching a thin eyebrow, "how would you like to have the tables turned a bit?"

Now Jareth was not a stupid man. In fact, he was very intelligent; one had to be smart to run the Labyrinth. And he could tell that this woman was not just bantering anymore. She meant some serious business. The mood of the room totally shifted, and his sense became alert. He just couldn't figure out what she was plotting.

Karma didn't bother to let Jareth retaliate, reveling far too much in her superiority.

"I think a fitting punishment for disobeying the Labyrinth for your own benefit would be…" she paused for dramatic effect, even going so far as to tap her chin with a slender finger, "well, I do love dogs! How about I turn you into a dog? Oh this is _so _fitting, don't you think?! A creature who is man's best friend…serving their master." She let out a contented sigh. "Oh, and please, let's up the stakes. I do know how much you love playing games with high risks. Why don't I give you the task of earning Sarah Williams's trust? Her affection? Her _love_, hm? I've always been one for romantics.

"But there comes consequences," she added in a singsong voice. "Should you fail to earn her love, much like you did five years ago – hm, sore spot? – then you will remain a dog forever. Of course, I'll be a little fair and allow you to have a chance to revert back to your true form on every full and new moon. Which I guess is two times per month."

Jareth would've gaped had that been a dignified thing to do.

But a _dog_? He, the _Goblin King_, would be turned into a _dog_? That was utterly ridiculous and horrifying! And to Sarah Williams…the world must really hate him. How could he possibly bend himself to her will? And what if, heaven forbid it, she never liked him? It wouldn't be surprising…how could she like the king who made her run through the crazy Labyrinth?

An odd thing started to pool in his stomach…

Self-doubt.

"Well, I suppose I should start, hm?"

And before Jareth couldn't even open his mouth to retaliate and ask what in the hell was wrong with this woman, an odd sensation took over his body. For a split second, it was sheer pain. He could feel his bones rearranging, snapping together in odd places, and before he knew it, the ground was a lot closer than before.

If dogs could've screamed, Jareth would've certainly been an odd sight.

"By the way darling! You have one month!"

--

Sarah had the habit of falling into routine. Most of her days started with getting up and sluggishly starting to make coffee. And then she'd go into the bathroom, take a shower, put on clean clothes, eat breakfast, brush her teeth, and run off to work.

It wasn't a life that most envied, and Sarah could easily understand why.

Ever since the events of the Labyrinth, she had made it her mission to lead a normal life. She couldn't allow herself to get too caught up in fantasies, otherwise she may just find herself running the Labyrinth again…not that she believed in it or anything, but she tried to be cautious now.

_Stop thinking about the Labyrinth. It just makes you sound stupid._

She sighed, stirring her cup of coffee before downing it. Checking her watch, she decided it'd be best to get a move on before Stephanie got on her case for being late. More often than not, she stood by the door, just waiting to pounce on those who dared to be a little slower than the rest. It certainly seemed true to Sarah.

After several attempts of starting her car that was about as stubborn as a mule, she got to work just a few minutes before ten. Stephanie, her boss, shot her a look that clearly warned her not to cut it so close next time. Sarah walked over to her desk, dumping her jacket on the back of the chair before plopping in it.

Her friend Rachel quickly swiveled around in her seat to greet the girl.

"Hello sleepyhead!" She sang in teasing voice.

Sarah rolled her eyes halfheartedly. "Good morning, miss annoying ray of sunshine."

Rachel just brushed it off. "Guess what?"

"What?" Sarah played along.

"Connor finally asked me out!"

Sarah suddenly took interest, a smile on her face.

"Really? Finally after all this time?"

"I know. He's pretty stupid when it comes to this sort of stuff, but I think after a year of not-so-subtle flirting, he got the hint. It's better than Ryan who didn't even realize it for two years until after I lost interest in him. Talk about sad," she added with a roll of the eyes.

Sarah laughed, patting Rachel on the knee. "Well make sure you keep him, okay? He seems like a keeper."

"Will do," Rachel mock saluted.

Sarah turned around in her seat to get started on some spreadsheets. For the next seven hours, Sarah would work and type herself into oblivion. All she did was type up reports for the company and keep track of some budgets. The company had something to do with…something. She wasn't even sure anymore. She'd only been doing this job for a year, but it paid the bills, and so she saw no reason to quit it. _Accounting! I think that's it…I should've never quit the bookstore job…_

And then there was Aiden, her second reason for deciding not to quit just yet.

He was a soft-spoken, kind man who always set Sarah's emotions in turmoil. Everything about him just seemed right. She loved his wispy, always perfectly messy blonde hair, big blue eyes and perfect lips. A calming aura was always around him, one that just made looking at him easier to endure work. But Sarah knew better than to just dive headfirst into silly crushes. Besides, they hardly spoke to each other, save for the friendly 'hello' every now and then.

Rachel, of course, had said to go in for the kill. _Just like her to say that._

In any case, at the end of the day, Sarah would go home and remind herself that she had an ordinary life. She hardly fretted over things besides bills, but that was just normal for any adult living the real life. Some, including Rachel, had deemed her life antisocial, and quite frankly, boring. She couldn't fathom why…she liked having quiet time to read and think and go about her own business. Even _Karen _pressured her to go out and have fun.

But apparently, Sarah's idea of fun was just incomprehensible.

_Blah. I'll worry about that later._

--

Sarah pulled up to her home, leisurely unbuckling herself and grabbing her small purse on the way of the car. Stifling a yawn, she unlocked her door and walked in, rubbing her eyes. She felt sleepier than usual. Tossing her purse and jacket onto the nearest sofa, she sauntered into the kitchen and poked around in her rather bare fridge.

"Why do I never have good food?" She murmured before fishing out a few grapes.

Humming a small tune to herself, Sarah walked up the stairs and headed for her bedroom. Opening the door, she nearly continued on to her closet, only to let out a loud scream.

There, sitting at the foot of her bed, was a _dog_.

"What the hell!" She screeched, backing up several feet.

The dog gave her an uninterested look.

"How did…there's no way…I'm just dreaming!"

The dog gave a tired 'woof'.

Seeing that the dog was not making any motion to attack her, Sarah stepped forwards, tentatively stretching a hand out to pet the dog's head. Just before her fingers could glide over the glossy, golden fur, the dog's head snapped to pierce her with a stare. Startled, Sarah fell on her rear, wincing at the impact. The dog gave what Sarah could've sworn was a grin before resting his head on his shaggy paws.

Taking a better look at the dog, she realized it had a very regal, cold attitude…it was elegant. It had an astounding amount of hair, all straight and glossy, pooling around its form while its eyes held a knowing look. Speaking of which…Sarah craned as close as she could to catch a look. Its eyes were very unnatural…in fact…they looked very mismatched, though both the same color.

_Jareth! _Sarah froze. _Argh! You still think about him? God, even a poor dog has to suffer your stupid memories. Besides, Jareth the "Goblin King" doesn't exist, so just get a grip._

With that tiny pep talk, Sarah quickly got to her feet.

"Alright, I don't know how the hell you got in here, but you're not staying!" She swiftly grabbed the dog's long hair around its scruff, attempting to pull it to its feet without harming it. "Come on! Don't be so stubborn."

The dog glowered, instantly pulling its head in the opposite direction.

'_Stupid girl…thinking she can order me around'_, Jareth thought attempting to dislodge her fingers.

Sarah could feel her temper rising. "Just get up! Would it kill you to leave? I can't take care of you, so let's just go and find you a new home!"

'_And why ever not?' _Jareth demanded though he knew all his thoughts were just that – thoughts. Sarah wouldn't be able to hear him if she tried. Unfortunately, she was no dog whisperer. '_She can defeat a Labyrinth, escape the Bog, but she can't talk to a dog…how pathetic.'_

"Fine! Don't move! I'll just make you!" She threatened. And soon enough, she was down on her knees, pushing against the dog's side. It barked in protest, getting up to its feet. Sarah gave a triumphant grin as she grabbed the dog's hair again and pulled it out of her room. "Come on, you! Out you go!" They wrestled down the stairs, Sarah putting all the strength she could into pulling him.

'_The very idea that she's threatening to kick me out…'_

And so Jareth decided to play the card he wished he never had to play. It went against his very being, so much that he nearly felt his spleen going out of order.

He whined. The classic dog whine that practically screamed 'Are you really that heartless to kick out a defenseless animal? _Are you_?'

Sarah paused, staring into his wide blue eyes. They widened considerably once aware of her attention.

_I just think it gave me the puppy-eye look…oh God._

"Stop that! It's just…argh…Merlin did this all the time…" She sighed, remembering all the times her Old English Sheepdog Merlin would whine and give her such an endearing look that she _had _to give in. Sarah always did have a soft spot for animals anyways. Why go back on her word to never be cruel to animals? Maybe it was just a hungry dog…though she would never figure out how it got _inside her house_, inside her _closed _bedroom.

"Don't tell me magic has been coming to kick my butt…"

The dog woofed.

'_Oh believe me, Sarah…it has.'_

AN: Yes yes. Jareth the dog. How demeaning. BUT, if you're curious, Jareth is an Afghan Hound. I just _had _to at least attempt to write this fic once I realized how similar Afghan Hounds are to Jareth. Don't believe me? Check this out. http/ /images. cafepress. com/image/ 8024400400x400.jp (take out the spaces!) And if that's not enough evidence for you:

"The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing. The breed has a reputation among dog trainers of having a relatively slow "obedience intelligence" as defined by author Stanley Coren.1 The Afghan Hound has many cat-like tendencies and is not slavish in its obedience as are some other breeds. The Afghan hound has a leaning towards independence. Owners should not be surprised if their Afghan hounds sometimes choose to ignore commands."

Straight out of Wikipedia, my friend.

So anyways, tell me what you think!


	3. Power Struggle

AN: I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but I recently got the urge to start writing again. So I'm just taking this one step at a time, though I know this doesn't excuse me for the lack of updates. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth. But I do own Karma!

**How the Tables Have Turned**

**Chapter Two**

**Power Struggle**

The next hour proved to be a difficult one for Sarah. Try as she might, she just couldn't get over the fact that a dog had miraculously appeared in her bedroom. Her _closed _bedroom! Her mind sought answers as to how to explain this, and eventually, the idea that she was on crack seemed the most feasible. But secretly, Sarah had the horrifying thought and inkling that this had something to do with magic…something she was completely out of control of.

But for right now, attending to the dog would have to do.

"Alright…" Sarah mused, opening the refrigerator. The best way to cope with this was to just pretend she was dealing with her old dog Merlin. _Somehow, I feel like imagining by dead dog is alive again is even worse…_ "Let's see, something for you, boy…" She bit her lip, for the first time noticing how scarce her food supply was.

Apparently the dog noticed it too when it let out a loud whine of disapproval. Sarah sighed, pulling out some leftovers. "For now, this is all we have."

The dog wrinkled his nose in response when he caught a whiff of the food she was currently heating up. It smelled vaguely like chicken, though he wouldn't attest to that. At least she hadn't done the worst and forced him to eat dog food. _That _would be a real strike to his ego.

Jareth was snapped back to attention when Sarah set an old plastic dog dish in front of him. It was filled with the oddest looking food, the chicken looking far too mangled to be considered edible. Sarah could've sworn she saw a look of pure loathing in the dog's eyes and quickly shoved that thought away. He was a dog, not a human. _Not a Goblin King…_

"Just eat it!" She whined, feeling frustrated when she saw the dog had refused to even touch the bowl. It had been five minutes of him just staring at his food dish before resting his head on his paws and letting out languid yawns. "Please!" Her green eyes reflected complete desperation. Merlin had never been this difficult with his food, usually eating what was in front of him, and sometimes what wasn't.

'_That's right, Sarah. Beg._'

"Fine," Sarah rose up to her feet, briefly stooping down to collect the dog bowl, "I can see you aren't hungry, so let me just take this out of your way, Master." She snorted walking over to the sink. _One…two…three…_

And that's when she heard it.

A pitiful, loud whine escaped the dog's mouth, and she secretly smiled. Reverse psychology – it worked on just about anyone or anything.

Jareth felt completely repulsed. Without even intending to, as if beyond his control, a whine escaped his jaws, and he felt completely powerless to prevent it. It was as if the dog instinct in him was growing stronger by the hour. He was horrified at the thought of what he might become by the end of one month. Shaking his furry head, he resolved to not give in to Karma's curse. He'd win this game. Sarah may have beaten his labyrinth once, but there was no way she could refuse his advances twice.

Although, that might sound more convincing if he was a man rather than a dog.

* * *

It was later in the night that Sarah had sat down by the television, attempting to ignore the fact that the dog had refused to leave her side. In fact, he was alarmingly attached. For a dog that had seemed so aloof earlier, he was staunch on staying by her side now. It was kind of nice, she had to admit. Without really thinking, she dropped her hand to his soft head, feeling the silken fur against her palm.

Jareth jerked slightly, feeling rather put-off by the dog treatment, though her hand _was _quite soothing. He allowed his eyes to drift shut, and once again, he found he couldn't control his dog body when his right hind leg began to thump happily. Sarah gave a quiet laugh, returning her attention to the sitcom.

'_Come on…just a little to the left_,' Jareth thought, attempting to drag her hand through the movements of his head. Sarah obliged and almost let out a loud laugh when she saw how rapidly his hind leg was thumping. Perhaps this dog really was a dog like any other. It just had a little bit of its own, unique personality, like every dog tended to have. Merlin was the same way, never quite outgrowing his puppy tendencies.

Sarah yawned, finally ceasing to massage the dog's head, and Jareth felt thoroughly elated. It was reassuring to know that even as a dog he still exuded power over her. She fed him, scratched his head, and he was sure that by tomorrow, she wouldn't be able to stand the thought of throwing him out.

Sitting up, Jareth mimicked her movements looking rather regal on her bland couch. Sarah patted his neck, noticing he had no collar whatsoever. She vaguely wondered if he had a microchip. But then she felt that she would've seen a missing dog flyer up on the neighborhood somewhere, not that she had recognized this dog at all. It could've very well been that he had wandered over from somewhere farther away. It had happened before. But whatever the case, the idea of this dog being a stray was impossible. He looked far too well-groomed.

"I don't really know what I'm supposed to do with you," she sighed, standing up. "I really can't take care of you, but at the same time, I can't kick you out. You don't even look like you belong to anyone."

'_Exactly. I'm Jareth, the Goblin King. I don't _belong _to anyone._'

"Whatever, I'll think about this in the morning! I'm way too tired for this," she muttered, walking toward the stairs, not at all surprised to discover she had an extra shadow following her. He trotted up the stairs and darted past her into the bedroom, eagerly jumping up onto her bed, his tongue hanging out excitedly.

'_You take the floor, and I will take the bed. It's only fit for a king such as me. Though the pink color is really _not _to my liking_…'

"Oh no," Sarah began, making a move to gently shove Jareth off the bed. "You get to sleep on the floor, buddy."

Jareth's eyes went wide with shock, though Sarah failed to notice as she was too busy attempting to push him off.

Seeing that Sarah was serious about making him sleep on the floor, Jareth did the only thing he could think to do. He growled.

Sarah froze, moving away from the dog slowly. Her face held a quizzical look.

"Did you seriously just _growl _at me? After all the crap I did for you too!" She huffed, pushing him again, only this time merely to the other half of the bed. "Fine. You can sleep on this half of the bed. But just know, you're losing brownie points for staying. In fact, don't be surprised if you find yourself in a cardboard box tomorrow," she snapped, walking out of her room to go brush her teeth.

Jareth gave a low snort, not at all amused by her threat. He'd like to see her _try _and get rid of him. It'd be a failed attempt at best.

Moments later, Sarah came back running a hand through her brown hair. She stifled a yawn with her hand as she moved over to her dresser. She pulled out an old t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants and flung them on the bed, narrowly missing Jareth. He snorted but didn't react further than that. He figured he'd messed with her enough for one night.

Jareth was about to shut his eyes and drift off to sleep, when he caught sight of something that forced him wide-awake.

Apparently, Sarah had no qualms about undressing in front of a dog. Although, he supposed that wasn't too weird…especially since she didn't exactly grasp that he wasn't really a dog. But even so, Jareth couldn't look away, no matter how hard he tried to close his eyes and feign sleep.

First, the shirt came off and then the pants. She was soon only clad in a black bra and matching underwear, and Jareth found himself quietly approving. He felt a small whine escape his throat and quickly shut up, afraid of catching her attention.

He really couldn't believe how long she was standing there in only her underwear, even taking the time to wander over to her mirror and unhook the necklace she had been wearing. Desperate as he was to look away, he couldn't help but realize what a wonderful angle the reflection in the mirror gave him of her breasts, covered up as they were.

The view was over all too soon as Sarah walked back over to the bed and pulled on her ratty t-shirt and pajama bottoms and slid into bed. She turned off the light and spent a few moments getting comfortable under her covers before her eyes slowly shut. Jareth thought about snuggling closer to her, just to make it all that more unbearable for her to give him up, but thought better of it.

'_Don't be a fool, Jareth_,' he chided.

Although he could get used to the view every night…

* * *

It was sometime a few hours later when Jareth felt himself waking up. Or at least, he thought it was a few hours later. Looking around, he noticed he was in the Underground, back in his own throne room; however, the gaggles of goblins were nowhere to be found. The room was downright empty. He raised a brow, wondering what was going on when he found his answer.

Karma.

"Long time no see, Jareth!" She waved from her spot on his throne.

Jareth groaned.

"Have you been a good boy for Sarah?" She cooed, grabbing both sides of his face in her hand. She simply laughed when Jareth sneezed. "Well, one thing I know for sure is, you've been a _naughty _one! Watching her undress? How clever of you, Jareth. I didn't expect _that _on the first night." Her high-pitched laughter seemed to echo off the walls of the throne room, grating on Jareth's sensitive dog ears.

'_Shut up, you mad woman!_'

"Is that anyway to treat a lady?" Karma abruptly stopped laughing.

'_Oh of course, Sarah doesn't understand me but the witch does_,' he thought wryly.

"I'm not a witch!" Karma protested, a scowl crossing her features. "Besides, I can understand you because _I _put the spell on you," she had a hand resting on her chest with rather prideful look on her face at the emphasis of the word 'I'. "Sarah Williams is only human after all."

'_Why are you here?_' Jareth asked, choosing to ignore Karma's self-gloating.

"I only appear in your doggy dreams, Jareth. Well, I _could _appear whenever I want, but I find this to be much more convenient." She shrugged. "Besides, it's entertaining, getting into your head. The one place you'd expect to be private. Oh, the troubles of a Goblin King," she dramatically sighed, placing the back of her hand against her head for added flair.

'_Good God, woman_,' Jareth seethed, baring his fangs. '_Do you ever shut up?_'

Karma merely feigned interest in her manicured nails. "Believe me, I think I'm preserving some of your sanity. By being able to socialize with another creature, I'm simply slowing down the process."

'_And what process would that be?_'

"The complete transition to your dog-form. You know, if you fail to win Sarah's love, you'll stay a dog forever. And even you, Jareth, can't fight instinct," she said softly, most of the mirth gone from her eyes. "After that, it'll only be a matter of time until you've turned into a complete animal."

'_But surely –_'

"Oops! Time to wake up!" Karma laughed.

Suddenly, Karma vanished as did the throne room.

Blearily opening his eyes, Jareth slowly lifted his head and realized he was back in Sarah's room. In her bed, to be precise. His ears slightly perked when he noticed her presence was missing, though he could smell the faint scent of perfume. He wrinkled his nose, wasting no time in jumping out of bed.

He almost collided with her in the hallway as she struggled to clip on an earring.

"Gah! I forgot about you!" She yelled, walking past him as she went back into the bedroom to grab her purse and keys. She walked back out of the room, about to amble down the stairs before turning to Jareth. "Right! Uh, you…you stay here and be a good boy okay?" Jareth tilted his head, looking down at her from the top step. "Just…don't rip up the furniture!" She pleaded before running down the stairs.

'_Wait! Won't you feed me?_'

This of course came out as a whine, and Sarah interpreted it as a cry for food or the fact that she was leaving. She figured it had to be the first reason.

"I already filled your food bowl!" She hopped on one foot as she struggled to force a heel on her other. "Now I gotta go! Be a good dog!" She hollered over her shoulder as she ran out the door. Jareth heard the sound of a car starting and the wheels screeching as she pulled out of the driveway. The sound grew more distant, and soon, she was gone.

He was completely alone.


End file.
